Why College Students Don’t Like The Resume

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On college campuses across the country, students are regularly drilled on the “rules of the resume.”

Only one page! Have an objective. Use action verbs! Put your education at the top! Update your LinkedIn page. And on and on.

The question begs, even though students constantly are reminded of how important the resume is, do they even believe in it?

We asked college students from across the country for their thoughts on the resume. Here’s what they had to say:

Do you think the resume is an effective way to showcase a person’s experience and personality?

“No, because the things that make a person interesting – the books they read, the hobbies and interests they have, etc. – often don’t show up on a resume. Just because you’re accomplished doesn’t mean you’re a good collaborator.” – Zach Schwartz

“No, it can be a factor in experience, but you could never gauge someone’s personality from a resume. The resume is a way to get your foot in the door and the interview is where you really sell yourself.” – Chelsea St. Clair

“The resume is a solid way of summarizing a person’s experience though it’s not perfect. To fit your abilities and interests onto one page is very hard! But a well-polished doc can be representative of a person’s ability to be concise, direct and communicate a message.” – Andy Ng

“I think a resume is a great tool to showcase a person’s experience and personality, but only to an extent. There are so many things I can’t articulate about myself on a single sheet of paper. Facets of my work ethic and personality can only be accurately expressed in person. A resume shouldn’t be a defining factor in whether someone gets a job or not.” – Jessica Gillen

“I believe the resume is an effective way to showcase a person’s experience but not one’s personality. The resume is certainly impersonal, but it gets the hard facts across as to what one has achieved. That’s only about 25% of the picture though. It’s only what, not really how or why, nor does it elucidate the answer to who that person really is.” – Chris Paterno